Our Crowdfunding Groups
The Virginia Tech Prison Book Project embodies Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), a motto of selfless servitude and passion for community outreach that searches for humanity in everyone.
The Virginia Tech Humanities Week keynote speaker is George Chochos, an advocate for prison education initiatives who transformed his own life through his journey from incarceration at Sing Sing Prison in New York to graduating with a Master of Divinity Degree from Yale Divinity School.
Learn more and register to attend the program on Wednesday, October 25th (in person or online): https://liberalarts.vt.edu/humanities-week.html
What is the project?
We send books to incarcerated readers in Virginia. We believe Virginia Tech’s educational mission extends to Virginians behind bars, and we recognize the value of sharing books as a form of educational justice. We respond to letters from incarcerated persons requesting books.
Since November 2021, the Prison Book Project has mailed over 1,320 packages!
The project is more than just books: providing resources to build life skills, self-sustainability, recovery, knowledge, human understanding and empathy, and a world outside of the isolation many experience behind bars.
Read more on the Virginia Tech Prison Book Project website.
We partner with the Appalachian Prison Book Project, Blacksburg Books, VT Engage, and several student organizations. Sponsored by the Department of Religion and Culture and the Center for Humanities.
Sponsor a step-by-step drawing book for a variety of subjects.
Sponsor an anthology of poetry, such as The Poetic Edda, a collection of mythological and heroic Old Norse poems.
Sponsor a guidebook for vocational skills such as plumbing, wiring, concrete, drywall, or auto repair.
Sponsor an advanced reference guide for technical skills, such as Masonry and Concrete Complete Construction or Air Conditioning and Refrigeration.
Sponsor a 10-volume set of Graphic Novels, such as Jujutsu Kaisen, Tokyo Revengers, Attack on Titan, and more!